1) Ithaca: The city of Ithaca is located on the southern shore of Cayuga Lake. It is named for the Greek island of Ithaca and is home to Cornell University. This vibrant student city is a great base for most of the sights in the Finger Lakes region. There is sufficient supply of shops, restaurants and terraces here. The center is located between E Seneca Street and E Green Street mainly, in between you will find the Downtown Shopping center where you can sit and relax outside.

2) Cascadilla Gorge Trail: You do not have to travel far to see a beautiful waterfall, because close to the center lies the Cascadilla Gorge Trail. This beautiful trail leads you along 6 different waterfalls. The trail is located on the Cornell campus from College Avenue and the path takes you through a beautiful gorge and connects you with other nature trails on and near the campus. The lower path lies in Cascadilla Park, near the intersection of Court Street and University Avenue. The Cascadilla Gorge Trail is about 800 m long and has a lot of stairs. To walk the trail takes about an hour and is not too difficult. You can park your car in the residential areas (paid parking) because unfortunately there is no parking area near the Cascadilla Gorge Trail. The parking garage on Hoy Road is mostly full.

3) Cornell Botanic Gardens: About 10 minutes from the center north east of Ithaca you will find the Cornell Botanic Gardens. This 35 hectare garden consists of smaller gardens and is accessible to everyone. It is a quiet place to spend some time between the beautiful trees, plants and flowers and the entrance is also free. Start at the welcome center that also has a gift store and ask for a map of the gardens. There are many parking lots where you can park your car for free.

4) Ithaca Falls: The Ithaca Falls are not far from the Cornell Botanic Gardens. This immense waterfall is 150 feet (46 m) high, with a 175-foot-wide (53 m) crest. It faces northwest and has a multitude of closely spaced vertical leaps and extremely steep cascades. The deep plunge pool at the base of the falls is a popular fishing spot for lake trout and salmon, but swimming in the pool or climbing the falls or adjacent cliffs is strictly prohibited. There have been a few fatalities at this site. The trail around the Ithaca falls is easy and takes about 15 minutes. The best time to visit the waterfalls is between May and October. There is a small parking area for Ithaca falls. If the lot is full, street parking may be available nearby.

Highlights close to Ithaca:

1) Buttermilk Falls State Park: Buttermilk Falls State Park lies 2 miles (3.2 km) South of Ithaca, on the southeast side of route 13 (112 E. Buttermilk Falls Road/Elmira road). Buttermilk Falls State Park features 10 waterfalls in total, with Buttermilk Falls being the main attraction. You can walk many trails here. (more information about Buttermilk Falls State Park can be found on my website).

2) Taughannock Falls State Park: Taughannock Falls State Park is located 8 miles (12.9 km) 17 minutes north of Ithaca on NY 89. The park's namesake, Taughannock Falls, is a 215 foot (66 m) waterfall that is the highest single-drop waterfall on the eastern part of the USA. Taughannock Falls State Park offers hiking and nature trails, camping and picnicking. (For more information see my website).

Ascending over 400 feet, this historic set of stone trails and staircases was originally constructed in the late 1920's, and takes visitors through the gorge formed from ancient bedrock and past six waterfalls.

At a leisurely pace, this secion of the trail takes less than an hour from the Treman Triangle Park in downtown to the upper entrance by the College Avenue Stone Arch Bridge (Above on the picture and film the beautiful falls).

In Collegetown, the trail crosses College Avenue and the Goldwin Smith Walk continues to follow Cascadilla Creek for another half mile through a flat, wooded area that leads to two footbridges over scenic waterfalls.